Birk Irving

Winter Park native Birk Irving is taking the freeskiing world by storm. A double threat in halfpipe and slopestyle, Irving has earned multiple Revolution Tour podiums and a USSA Junior National Championships title in halfpipe, which prove that this up-and-comer is serious about paving his road to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

The 2014 winter marked a great comeback year for Irving, who had been sidelined by a couple injuries the previous season. After making a full recovery, he was a force to be reckoned with on the Revolution Tour where he took second in halfpipe at the Seven Springs stop and a third place in halfpipe at the Sun Valley stop. He also placed 10th in halfpipe at the Aspen/Snowmass Open against some of the sport’s seasoned veterans and then went on to take the USSA Junior National Championships title in halfpipe. With such impressive results, Irving was invited to represent the U.S. on the FIS Junior World Championships Team in Italy, where he placed sixth in halfpipe.

The 2015 season was another stellar one for Irving, with double victory in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Seven Springs stop of the Revolution Tour and two more halfpipe wins at Mammoth Mountain. He also hit the podium in third at the Junior World Championships in Italy to close out the season.

Irving started off the 2016 season with promise after an 11th-place finish at the Cardrona World Cup and a nomination to the U.S. Youth Olympic Games freeskiing team. However, one week after the nomination, Irving fractured his fibula during training at Mammoth Mountain. Suffering through pain and the inability to train in the lead up to the Youth Olympics, Irving showed champion's grit by putting down a gold-medal run in halfpipe, earning the first-ever freesking Youth Olympic Games gold medal for the U.S.

FIRST TRACKS
Living at the base of Winter Park, Irving hails from a family of skiers who spend as much time skiing together as possible. With a father on ski patrol, a mom who coached alpine racing, and a sister who also competes in halfpipe and slopestyle, it is no wonder he took to skiing at an early age. Irving never had an interest in any other type of skiing other than park skiing. He started sliding rails at age five and did his first 360 that same year. He was determined to be a freestyle skier, and when he got his first sponsor at age seven, he never looked back.

OFF THE SNOW
When not on snow, Irving enjoys the great outdoors of Colorado and spends his summers fishing and downhill mountain biking at Winter Park. He also spends free time bouncing on trampolines to keep in shape for skiing.